Spiller helped lead the Bills to an exhibition win over the Bengals, scoring twice in the 35-20 win on Saturday night. He carried the ball 12 times for 52 yards, including a 20-yard sprint. Spiller added two catches for 33 yards.

The workload split in Chan Gailey’s backfield come the beginning of the regular season is still a question mark, but the Bills won’t be able to keep the rookie out of Clemson off the field given his preseason brilliance. Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch are still sidelined, giving Spiller ample opportunity to demonstrate his play-making abilities against first-string defenses. Spiller crept into the upper-20s in my most recent positional ranking update.

Might he crack the top 20 in the next iteration?

Spiller will certainly be a heavily-debated player on our FOX Sports Radio show Sunday morning (10am-12pm ET). Lock and load!

Check out the “Fantasy Sports” tab for more ranking sheets.

Check it out here .

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The FANTASY FREAKS return

As such, it took weeks to wind to completion, and more than a few twists and turns occurred in the NFL to alter the initial response to certain picks. My selection of LenDale White in the ninth round says it all (my full diatribe concerning his release from the Seahawks can be heard at a sports bar near you …).

Check out the draft here .

What do you think? Any surprises in this PPR league that allows zero transactions?

I’ll review this draft later on during the week while posting the grid form.

Enter the chat

It’s been done before, with Shawne Merriman, Julius Peppers and the Williams Wall in Minnesota, so the precedent had been set. But never had there been a decision to hold a second ballot and allow voters to change their minds. Ultimately, not enough of them did to change the voting. The gap narrowed, but Cushing still edged out Jairus Byrd for the award. He can’t go to the Pro Bowl this year, but he’ll still get his bonus if he performs in his 12 games back.

Does it send the statement that voters had already assumed Cushing was juiced before the test results were announced?

Does it send the statement that it’s just assumed that there’s a percentage of use in the league and that Cushing was just unlucky enough to get caught? (Can we talk about HGH again for a moment?)

Was Cushing’s performance just superior to the other rookies, so it wasn’t an issue?

Was his four-game suspension deemed enough by the voters, as he’ll also lose four games of pay?

Did the voters look to a larger issue of opening things up and changing up the books and awards from previous seasons?

Oh, and why was he still on the ballot if you’re opening this back up?

Finally, is it like Ving Rhames told Bruce Willis in “Pulp Fiction” that the voice was “pride (expletive) with you.” That is to say, the voters stuck to their original takes (for the most part) and were going to be damned if they were to be told their judgment was incorrect.
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Whatever the answer on these questions are for each of the voting members, I can only hope that this re-vote and the debate of the past week forces the NFL and the NFLPA to come to an agreement on expediting the appeals process. Let’s not have things hanging out in the balance and coming out months after the season ended. Get the date. Get the information. Get the appeals process done.

The Commissioner’s office is swift and decisive on seemingly every other issue. This is an area in need of immediate improvement.

What if the Texans had made a playoff run? What if he hadn’t been there for the Week 2 win over Tennessee?
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As for those passing judgment on Cushing, I go back to my same argument that I’ve banged on for years …

If you were going to make millions and millions of dollars and the downside was that your health may be compromised some years later, wouldn’t you take that chance for the immediate glory?

Sign me up.

What happened to the Oakland organization that always left me on the edge of my seat, defying logic and common sense at every turn?

The Raiders drafted well, made the deal to bring Jason Campbell in from Washington and now jettisoned Russell to the scrap heap. He made off with $39 million in this three years with the squad, so there’s a compulsion to list him at or among the league’s worst busts of all time. I can’t argue about his placement on the list, as the numbers speak for themselves. Russell’s final stretch of games in the 2008 season, where he seemingly found his stride, was just a mirage. I don’t know that an adjective exists to describe precisely how terribly Russell played last season. His work ethic, or lack thereof, is a thing of legend.

Can I offer this in his defense … he was playing for the Raiders! Russell stands as the poster boy, the most prominent face of the Oakland Mount Rushmore, representing years of illogical moves, bad signings and unfulfilled promise from draft picks. It became a running joke since that Super Bowl appearance against former coach Jon Gruden and the Buccaneers.

How did a man who was a football genius and helped build the league into its current state suddenly forget how to run a team?

Somehow, someway, a new world order began in Oakland this April. Who is at the controls? What happened to Al Davis?

Could a rebirth of Raider Nation be on tap for 2010?

Jump on over to FOXSports.com to chat fantasy baseball, football and whatever else is on your mind at 2pm ET/11am PT.

It’s a quick-paced hour of rambling, Q&A and pontificating about the world at large.

Join him, won’t you?

Those hopeful Bills fans were eager to see what the 2010 NFL Draft would bring. They woke up early to get through a full day of work in order to be settled in front of a television at home or a local watering hole to help the team unwrap its latest presents.

You know that look you had when you received something functional (I don’t know – you fill in the blank) instead of a shiny, new gadget? Well, Bills fans expected the announcement that the trade had been picked or that a quarterback had been drafted. Jimmy Clausen was still there (I’ll get into his world in a future blog), but the team turned to game-changer C.J. Spiller, one of the most explosive players on the board.

It took a minute to sink in, as many had already penciled Spiller into the No. 10 slot for Jacksonville (why? I’m still not sure, but I digress).

Spiller offers the Bills a home run threat in the backfield, a player who can go from zero to end zone in grand fashion. The thing is, Spiller joins an already crowded backfield with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, and that big, glaring need under center is still there. I know that Brian Brohm is there with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards, and I suppose that this move spoke volumes of what the coaching staff believes.

Still, how about grabbing some help for whichever quarterback is under center? Lee Evans remains on an island unless there’s huge belief in James Hardy or Shawn Nelson …

Don’t get me wrong. I love Spiller’s talent, and he’ll be fun to watch in his 6-8 touches per game. However, temper those expectations for a monster impact unless Marshawn Lynch is moved. Until then, ratchet up the Buffalo D/ST a couple notches.

More draft thoughts to come throughout the remainder of the week.

Fans will sit and criticize or laud the efforts of their respective GMs. Shrines will be built to the expected “saviors” of a franchise. You don’t think that more than a few sites have been built to welcome Sam Bradford to St. Louis? “Sam 1 Am” See. Instead of the I, we use the number one for him being the first pick ….

The Lions are building the “Unstoppable Ndamukong” or “Sweet Suh” or something of that ilk.

There are one million and one pitchmen in Denver trying to find the magical formula to get Tim Tebow onboard. I know it certainly sent the blogosphere and talk radio buzzing, and will captivate us through training camp as Tebow finds his role.

The Draftniks return to their basements to begin work on their 2011 masterpieces. Jake Locker, Andrew Luck and the other 2011 draft hopefuls are working on their games with anticipation of hearing their names called in primetime next year.

I’ll spend considerable time watching and analyzing the college game this fall on the Dome in addition to my usual vigilance on the NFL and MLB beats.

Over the next couple days, I’ll be breaking down the good, bad and ugly from the 2010 NFL Draft, including thoughts on the myriad trades that shook up the landscape.

Is the JaMarcus Russell era over in Oakland with Jason Campbell’s arrival (Campbell said flat-out that he expects to start)? Did Pete Carroll’s trade push the Seahawks back toward the top of the NFC West?

The time to break down our new heroes is at hand. Did your team do enough?

Look for new podcasts w/ special guests from around the league, Vlogs and a ton of blog posts to get you buzzing around the water cooler.

Who can make it happen?

St. Louis is a no-go. The Rams are trying to fire up the fan base, and while his arrival would bring fanfare and attention, I don’t know that you want to build from there. Roethlisberger has an injury history and has absorbed a ton of hits in his six NFL seasons. Take Sam Bradford and look to the future.

Cleveland: It doesn’t seem like a Mike Holmgren kind of fit and it’s unlikely that the Steelers would trade him in-division. That, and the fact that Cleveland has a lot of other needs to address in addition to the quarterback position that was flipped this offseason.

Seattle: Pete Carroll is building things from scratch. However, he’s showing that he likes reclamation projects by signing receivers Mike Williams and Reggie Williams. Roethlisberger is only 28, while starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck turns 35 in September. Seattle certainly has ample early-round picks to consider a deal (6th, 14th and 40th overall selections).

Buffalo: They need something to get the train moving in the right direction. Bringing in a proven quarterback would be a nice start.

Jacksonville: Likewise, Jacksonville needs something to spark the squad. David Garrard has been a solid option, but hasn’t lived up to the big payday he received. Even with the thoughts of squashing character concerns in Jacksonville, wouldn’t a two-time Super Bowl champion be enticing and re-engage the fan base?

Oakland: Can Al Davis put aside the amount of money he’s spent on JaMarcus Russell and look to the future of his squad? A change of coasts might be a positive for Roethlisberger, although I know bad comics are already crafting their “of course he goes to Oakland!” takes.

Fantasy Take

Roethlisberger was ranked toward the back-end of the starters for 2010 prior to the suspension. Obviously, a minimum four-game suspension drops him toward the list a few spots. But, how far does he fall when you consider the 12 games (assuming you make the playoffs and a run into the fantasy title game) for which he’ll be eligible?

He slides behind the likes of Carson Palmer, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, but I can’t slip him past the aforementioned Garrard or second-year starter Matthew Stafford just yet.

As for the Pittsburgh squad, you’re looking at Dennis Dixon for the start of the season unless something shifts and he melts down to let Batch or Leftwich snag the job. That means more opportunities for Heath Miller (when healthy) and short routes for Hines Ward (PPR leagues rejoice). However, Roethlisberger’s absence hurts the prospects of Mike Wallace stepping into a dominant role. He’ll produce, but I’m less bullish right now

Finally, you’re looking at a HUGE workload for Rashard Mendenhall in his third year. Willie Parker is gone, and you can expect to see the Steelers return to the traditional smash-mouth formation.

Training Camp
The long road to training camp has begun. This weekend, I’ll be blogging, yelling and spewing off stats and analysis about the NFL Draft, the NFL schedule & one million other topics.

Each year, I hit the road and catch a number of practices, a stretch that always includes a trip to Pittsburgh. Last year’s visit occurred just after the Lake Tahoe news broke. I’m curious to see the vibe among the 10,000-12,000 fans come August.

The Steelers made a move ahead of the decision, bringing back veteran quarterback Byron Leftwich to compete for a role with Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch. Did the Steelers anticipate such a lengthy suspension? Perhaps not, there was a pretty good idea that Roethlisberger wasn’t getting a slap on the wrist when Goodell talked of the quarterback’s violation of the league’s policy during a radio appearance with Dan Patrick on Tuesday.

There’s a chance that Roethlisberger’s suspension can be reduced to four games if he reaches certain conditions and his counselor’s sign off. Interestingly, the Steelers have a Bye in Week 5 following a date with the division-rival Ravens. Conspiracy theorists are running wild.

The NFL fan base and society at large are divided on the issue, most certainly. On one hand, there’s the sentiment that since Roethlisberger was not convicted of a crime, that no suspension is warranted. Then, there are those who cite the preponderance of evidence that paints a very dismal, sad and horrifying picture of what happened in Georgia as cause to suspend Roethlisberger indefinitely.

I understand the outrage of those who look at the details of the allegations and point to a pattern of abhorrent behavior. I don’t understand the “no charges, no punishment” faction. Some separation between the barbarism and aggression on the field and the larger society must be maintained, right?

In the end, there’s a responsibility to the league, its fans and its partners that must be considered. There’s a lot at stake for everyone involved, from the owners to broadcast partners, fans who shell out hard-earned cash for tickets and merchandiser and the myriad producers of said merchandise. Roger Goodell is protecting the integrity of his brand while keeping this seemingly unstoppable force on course for continued growth.

Wouldn’t you expect your boss to do the same? Wouldn’t you fight to protect your business?